`Sound of Music' tells inspiring family story

Classic: Wilde Lake High School performs the well-known Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with energy and skill.

Review

Howard Live

March 25, 2004|By Erin Williams | Erin Williams,CHESAPEAKE HIGH SCHOOL

Thursday evening, students at Wilde Lake High School performed the classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music, an inspiring story about courage, love and the importance of family.

Maria (Callie Goff) is a young postulant sent to work as a governess for the stern Captain von Trapp (Dean Arscott), who has seven children. In Austria, under the advancing Nazi regime, Maria and the captain fall in love and get married. They are forced to flee the country with the children when the captain is commissioned to be a Nazi officer.

Arscott captured the captain's decorum with consistency and emotion. Goff's performance was full of energy and charisma, which captivated the audience -- and it was no surprise that the von Trapp children admired her.

The children displayed individual personalities but still provided the harmony of a tight, supportive and caring family. However, Naomi Horak as Brigitta von Trapp stood out with her innocent and lively stage presence.

Other characters included the flirtatious Baroness Elsa Schraeder (Amber Henry), Max Detweiler (John Farris) and Frau Schmidt (Judith Ingber). The ensemble, full of party guests, Nazis and nuns, was versatile and talented.

The show opened in the Nonberg Abbey with the nuns and postulants, who brought the show to life with their gentle presence and poise. Their graceful, polished, harmonizing voices soothed the audience, a foil to the harshness of Nazi-era Austria.

Mother Abbess (Stephanie Barnes) met expectations in her performance of "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," and had the strongest vocal ability among the cast.

Although some vocalists had difficulties hitting particular notes, cast members showed they were having the time of their lives on stage.

The orchestra, which had one of the most demanding roles, played with skill and fortitude.

Overall, the cast of The Sound of Music did an excellent job of performing the inspiring and well-loved story.

Erin Williams reviewed The Sound of Music for the Baltimore Cappies, a program in which students review high school productions and vote on awards for outstanding performances. Wilde Lake High School presents The Sound of Music through Saturday.